Furniture, such as drafting tables or the like, having vertically adjustable tops supported by a pair of telescopic leg supports incorporating rack and pinion type drives, is well-known as evidenced for example by U.S. Pat. Nos. 537,091; 4,627,591; 4,747,353 and West German Published application No. DE 3303193A1. Further, it is generally known to provide vertically adjustable table tops with counterbalance mechanisms and latching mechanisms for releasably retaining table tops in desired vertical positions, as evidenced by above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,591 and Belgian Patent No. 515,132.
Prior adjustable height furniture of which I am aware has certain disadvantages including their failure to provide for the application of an essentially uniform counterbalance force throughout the range of vertical adjustment of the furniture. A further difficulty encountered is that of excessive frictional forces present in prior table lift mechanisms.